How Beautiful The Days (The Most Happy Fella)

Some highlights from having the musical that I choreographed hit the stage last week.

-Receiving a director's chair as my cast's opening night gift to me.

- Gilbert's Girl making a special trip to Ottawa to be my opening night date.

- The review in The Ottawa Citizen the next morning that said "Skinny Rabbit's tightly executed choreography shows imagination and hours of rehearsal."

- A former choreographer of mine gushing all night long about how I have raised the bar and set it high.

- Hearing other kind things like "That was the best choreography I've ever seen in an Orpheus show, " and "That was the best dancing I've ever seen at Orpheus, and I've seen every show since I was 18," and "Your choreography was the star of the show," and "You've out-done yourself," and "Wow."

- Sitting next to the little old ladies on that Sunday matinee, who kept saying things like "It's great to be young, isn't it?" and "He just called her a bitch."  My favourite, though, was at the top of Act II when the curtain opens to reveal a painted scrim of the High School Of The Performing Arts exterior, just as it did in Act I, "Oh, now I know what the show's about - the school of performing arts!"  There is not one scene in Act I that takes place outside of the school.

- The little old broad on that Wednesday night show who pinched my ass as I scooted past her to get to my seat.

- Doing a 10 to 1 shake down with the cast before every show and imparting to them the wisdom instilled in me from Mark Cassius: "I'm excited.  It's exciting.  They're excited."

- Having one of my chorus dancers mentioned in every single review.

- Being bored and falling asleep after watching the show 10 times in a row, but always getting up and dancing for the incredibly crowd pleasing finale.

- Having an accompanist in the orchestra pit who kept trying to save the show from a train wreck musical director, by not following his direction.

- Being told from various sources that they could see me in every move.

- Reading a facebook message from my friend, mother of two in Milton, Ontario, on the night before the closing matinee, saying that she felt like a bad friend for not seeing the show so she packed up the girls and drove 5 and a half hours just to see all my hard work.

- Being asked to choreograph again.  Saying no.